Kerry to meet Abbas as Jerusalem tensions persist

US Secretary of State John Kerry is set for talks Thursday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on easing regional tensions, after Israel approved 200 new homes in a Jerusalem neighborhood that partly lies over the Green Line despite mounting unrest.

The new construction was announced on Wednesday just hours after suspected Jewish extremists torched a West Bank mosque, in another development likely to inflame tempers in an already heated atmosphere.

Months of unrest have escalated in recent days, spreading from East Jerusalem to the West Bank and Arab communities across Israel, raising fears of a new Palestinian uprising.

Kerry was due to hold talks with Abbas in Amman on Thursday, after arriving in Jordan late Wednesday to discuss the situation in Jerusalem and other regional issues at a private dinner with King Abdullah II.

So far no meeting between Kerry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been scheduled, the US State Department said.

Kerry’s arrival in the region comes as Israel struggles to contain the wave of unrest.

Much of the tension has been focused on Jerusalem’s flashpoint Temple Mount, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, which has seen numerous clashes sparked by Palestinian fears that Israel is preparing to legislate changes to allow Jewish prayer there.

Netanyahu has clearly indicated changes to the status quo on the Temple Mount, where Jews are not allowed to pray, are not in the works.